Ezekiel 23-25

Ezekiel 23-25New King James Version (NKJV)

Two Harlot Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, there were two women,The daughters of one mother.3 They committed harlotry in Egypt,They committed harlotry in their youth;Their breasts were there embraced,Their virgin bosom was there pressed.4 Their names: [a]Oholah the elder and [b]Oholibah her sister;They were Mine,And they bore sons and daughters.As for their names,Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

5 “Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,6 Who were clothed in purple,Captains and rulers,All of them desirable young men,Horsemen riding on horses.7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them,All of them choice men of Assyria;And with all for whom she lusted,With all their idols, she defiled herself.8 She has never given up her harlotry broughtfrom Egypt,For in her youth they had lain with her,Pressed her virgin bosom,And poured out their immorality upon her.

9 “Therefore I have delivered herInto the hand of her lovers,Into the hand of the Assyrians,For whom she lusted.10 They uncovered her nakedness,Took away her sons and daughters,And slew her with the sword;She became a byword among women,For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

11 “Now although her sister Oholibah saw this,she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12 “She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,Captains and rulers,Clothed most gorgeously,Horsemen riding on horses,All of them desirable young men.13 Then I saw that she was defiled;Both took the same way.14 But she increased her harlotry;She looked at men portrayed on the wall,Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,15 Girded with belts around their waists,Flowing turbans on their heads,All of them looking like captains,In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,The land of their nativity.16 As soon as her eyes saw them,She lusted for themAnd sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the [c]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,And they defiled her with their immorality;So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.Then I alienated Myself from her,As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotryIn calling to remembrance the days of her youth,When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.20 For she lusted for her [d]paramours,Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,And whose issue is like the issue of horses.21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,When the Egyptians pressed your bosomBecause of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,From whom you have alienated yourself,And I will bring them against you from every side:23 The Babylonians,All the Chaldeans,Pekod, Shoa, Koa,All the Assyrians with them,All of them desirable young men,Governors and rulers,Captains and men of renown,All of them riding on horses.24 And they shall come against youWith chariots, wagons, and war-horses,With a horde of people.They shall array against youBuckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them,And they shall judge you according to their judgments.25 I will set My jealousy against you,And they shall deal furiously with you;They shall remove your nose and your ears,And your remnant shall fall by the sword;They shall take your sons and your daughters,And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.26 They shall also strip you of your clothesAnd take away your beautiful jewelry.

27 ‘Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotryBrought from the land of Egypt,So that you will not lift your eyes to them,Nor remember Egypt anymore.’

28 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of thosefrom whom you alienated yourself. 29 They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. 30 I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’

32 “Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,The deep and wide one;You shall be laughed to scornAnd held in derision;It contains much.33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,The cup of horror and desolation,The cup of your sister Samaria.34 You shall drink and drain it,You shall break its [e]shards,And tear at your own breasts;For I have spoken,’Says the Lord God.

Both Sisters Judged

36 The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.38 Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths. 39 For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40 “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and [f]Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their [g]wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’ 44 Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women. 45 But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.

46 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. 47 The assembly shall stone them with stones and [h]execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48 Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. 49 They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

Symbol of the Cooking Pot

24 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. 3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Put on a pot, set it on,And also pour water into it.4 Gather pieces of meat in it,Every good piece,The thigh and the shoulder.Fill it with choice [i]cuts;5 Take the choice of the flock.Also pile fuel bones under it,Make it boil well,And let the cuts simmer in it.”

6 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to the bloody city,To the pot whose scum is in it,And whose scum is not gone from it!Bring it out piece by piece,On which no lot has fallen.7 For her blood is in her midst;She set it on top of a rock;She did not pour it on the ground,To cover it with dust.8 That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,I have set her blood on top of a rock,That it may not be covered.”

9 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to the bloody city!I too will make the pyre great.10 Heap on the wood,Kindle the fire;Cook the meat well,Mix in the spices,And let the [j]cuts be burned up.

11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals,That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,Thatits filthiness may be melted in it,That its scum may be consumed.12 She has [k]grown weary with [l]lies,And her great scum has not gone from her.Let her scum be in the fire!13 In your filthiness is lewdness.Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.14 I, the Lord, have spoken it;It shall come to pass, and I will do it;I will not hold back,Nor will I spare,Nor will I relent;According to your waysAnd according to your deeds[m]They will judge you,”Says the Lord God.’ ”

The Prophet’s Wife Dies

15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your[n]lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, [o]your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the [p]delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your[q]lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24 Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

25 ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and [r]that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26 that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Proclamation Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, 4 indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the [s]men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

6 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, 7 indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Moab

8 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ 9 therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. 10 To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Edom

12 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” 13 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; [t]Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

Proclamation Against Philistia

15 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with [u]a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the [v]old hatred,” 16 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

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